Sunday, August 12, 2007

Take that, entropy!

I think it is perfectly justified to feel tremendously self-satisfied if, after eight months of it languishing on your To Do list, you finally replaced your garbage disposal. And fixed the slow-draining sink in the bathroom. Anand helped with the garbage disposal. He and I took off the old one, and he did the wiring for the new one; he says that if you went to Charles River Tech, you have a special relationship with the electrons and they won't hurt you. But he had to catch his train, and I finished the rest by my ownself.

The broken sprinkler is still defying me, which pisses me off, because I have met and dominated its much larger wild cousins. But I'm getting surer that I am going to have to dig out and replace the entire riser. I've been trying to avoid that.

missed your calling, kid. if you put out the word that a handy-chick is looking for some help putting a new roof on her house... a boatload of guys show up to help, mesmerized by the idea of working with woman to do the roof, rather being nagged by them to do the roof. then, with your newfound army you play general contractor, everyone pitches in, and viola, new roof in 4 hours. then in such a target rich environment, you invite them in for a meal, and notice which guys are also interested in helping you cook, narrowing the field a bit... invite the narrowed field down to help convert your sister's garage...

by the time the dust has settled, all of your current projects are knocked out, making room for newer and perhaps more esoteric ones, you know a couple of guys to cook with potentially, and maybe even one who will cook for you.

Thanks, Tom. I wouldn't be scared to replace the next garbage disposal, but I have a hard time starting projects I've never done. I'm scared something that is huge trouble will come up, and I can't tell in advance what is huge trouble and what is easy with the right tool.